Los Angeles Dodgers Clinch Division Behind Star Showings from Ohtani, Betts, Smith & Buehler

The Los Angeles Dodgers have once again claimed the NL West division title, marking their 11th win in 12 seasons with a decisive 7-2 victory over the Padres. As the Dodgers gear up for the playoffs, Walker Buehler's return from injury with a solid five-inning performance and Shohei Ohtani's pursuit of the NL Triple Crown add layers of excitement. Key offensive plays from Will Smith, Mookie Betts, and Ohtani highlight the team's depth, while Freddie Freeman's ankle injury and Brusdar Graterol's season-ending shoulder inflammation pose challenges. With the Dodgers holding a slim lead over the Phillies for the top seed, the stakes are high.

Tune in to explore the Dodgers' playoff prospects and the impact of these developments on their championship aspirations.

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0:00 Intro

0:02 Becoming a Locked On Dodgers Insider

4:49 Dodgers' Turning Point Against Musgrove

6:28 Andy Pages' Potential in the Postseason

9:14 Walker Buehler's Impactful Performance

12:34 Managerial Decision-Making in Baseball

15:10 Dodgers' Strategic Victory Against the Padres

20:04 Mookie Betts' Podcasting Controversy

25:47 Freddie Freeman's Injury Update

32:17 Dodgers' Mixed Night and Upcoming Games

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[cloudthao]

you can see the different celebration when the dodger clinch the playoff and shohei hit his 50/50, they celebrated the division with effort and joy

[ryanc]

I keep saying the show of emotion or fire isn't going to come in spots where they're not winning or not when they come up big. Why do we think they have no fire in the playoffs the last few years? Because they've not succeeded. If you watch them when they do come up big and succeed, the players show it. If you want them to yell at each other and blame each other when they fail, just to show "emotion" you're not going to get it. And frankly if they did, they'd look like they're throwing a tantrum. I rather not see that.

Anyway big series win, so glad they finally clinched at home after a long string of road clinches. And I just knew that the post season clinch was subdued because they wanted the NL West. They weren't going to settle for a wild card. And I was right--this was what I expected from the NL West celebration.

[jcbthegreat]

jeff and vince are correct, the reaction over mookie's podcast yesterday was especially dumb. also people on social media analyzing mookie's body language and saying he doesn't care about winning and he only cares about bowling has been so weird. criticism is fine but the other stuff is weird parasocial behavior.

[ericschultz]

It's easy to forget that Edwin Rios was an important contributor during the championship run in 2000. Andy Pages could easily play that role ! (and MORE !)

[rumarspencer]

What else is new, lol, Division is our turf, Congratulations.

[ReadyrNot]

They should switch from Avg to OPS for the triple crown

[AY-iy]

It's good to see the Dodgers celebrate in front of the Padres. By the end of the game the Padres mojo had deflated

[hilorymclean]

I disagree. The dodgers are not a very good baseball team. I know the Dodgers are highly favored to win the NL. But I don't think this team scares anyone in the playoffs. Ohtani is going to carry this team in the playoffs.

[TheAztec]

Uninspired team, come on yo they were built to win so this was expected. Great they won the west for 11 time in 12 seasons, this means absolutely nothing if you can't finish it off by wining the World Series.

[xh]

When your site still shows the tweetybird and not X, you are behind with time.